


Coalescence

by spr2ngsnow



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-20 23:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20684081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spr2ngsnow/pseuds/spr2ngsnow
Summary: Legendary Overwatch player Hui, known as Rooster, is unnerved when the flashy, defiant Shinwon is traded to the team he captains.





	Coalescence

**Author's Note:**

> i’m a big overwatch league fan and was very excited to write this au. i tried to make it as simple as possible for those of you that don’t know much about overwatch - if anything is too unclear please let me know! 
> 
> some notes:  
\- overwatch league takes place in los angeles, though each team represents a different city  
\- hui’s character is heavily inspired by ryujehong, a pro overwatch legend that was recently accused by a journalist of being the ‘biggest bust in overwatch league’  
\- if you’re familiar w/ pro overwatch, the meta makes no sense and i am sorry
> 
> enjoy!

“Your 2019 Overwatch League Champions – the Las Vegas Venom!”

Hui stared at his monitor. The stage lights were blinding. Confetti was falling. It wasn’t for him.

…

The Chicago Rush had been the favorites to win the 2019 Overwatch League season. They finished first in their division and looked _really_ good for the entirety of playoffs, but true to their reputation, they choked in five maps. They had lost in Grand Finals for the second year in a row.

As the captain of Team Rush, Hui felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. Though he was once regarded as a legend in the professional Overwatch scene, his admirers were starting to become fed up with his inability to bring home a Grand Championship. Quite frankly, Hui was starting to become fed up with himself.

“I heard they’re going to disband our entire team,” Wooseok cried. “What am I going to do? I don’t want to go back to college! I don’t want to study Spanish, or history, or biolog–”

Wooseok, a.k.a. Domino, was Hui’s partner in healing. As the flex support for Team Rush, Wooseok supported Hui, followed his directions, and acted as his backup... both in and out of game.

“Calm down, Domino,” Hui said. “If anything, they’re going to force my old ass into retirement.”

Team Rush filed one by one into the practice room. Their coaches lined up at the front of the room, poised to make an announcement. Hui braced himself. Though he had joked about forced retirement to Wooseok, it was certainly a possibility.

“In preparation for next season, we’ve decided to make some roster changes,” Uni, their head coach, proclaimed.

Unable to face Uni, Hui looked down at his shoes. Tears began to well in his eyes. It was really over.

“We’ve decided to trade our main tank, Y1, to the Las Vegas Venom. In return, we will be acquiring projectile DPS player Sesame.”

Hui yelped involuntarily. Surely, they couldn’t be talking about _that_ Sesame. The Sesame that either fed his brains out or got a team kill by himself. The Sesame that was always getting into arguments with rival players on Twitter. The Sesame that couldn’t stay with the same team for more than a couple of months. The handsome, arrogant, defiant Sesame. They couldn’t be serious.

After some tearful goodbyes to Y1, Hui gathered the remainder of his team for a group discussion. Besides Domino, there was also Stark, Mush, and Obsidian.

“Sesame? Is this a joke?” Hui said. His mind was racing. “He has horrible game sense, teamwork, and attitude! Don’t even get me _started_ on his stupid gamer tag. What will our sponsors think?”

“Bro, you go by Rooster,” Hongseok shot back. “Besides, we’re the biggest losers in Overwatch League. We could use someone like Sesame.”

Hongseok, a.k.a. Stark, was the off-tank player for Team Rush. He was flashy, flirty, and known to play by his own rules. He was also last year’s MVP, and an indisputable hard carry, so Hui couldn’t really say shit in return.

“Can it really get any worse than losing in Grand Finals two years in a row?” Yuto wondered.

“Shut up, Sid,” Jinho retorted.

Yuto narrowed his eyes. “Mush, we’ve been over this. My tag is _Obsidian_.”

Jinho struggled to keep a straight face. “Whatever you say, Oby.”

Jinho, formerly Y1’s benchwarmer, was in a good mood due to his newfound life as a starter in the Overwatch League. His victim, Yuto, was Team Rush’s hitscan DPS player. He was a bit gullible in real life for someone who was normally so strategic. 

Unphased by the back and forth, Hui was lost in his own thoughts. Deep down, he knew that Hongseok was right. The Chicago Rush needed someone like Sesame.

“Fine,” Hui sighed. “But he better listen to his new captain.”

…

The next day, Team Rush found themselves in the practice room. Though the season had just ended, the team was more motivated than ever to better their gameplay. Plus, it’s not like they had anything better to do. They were living across the globe to play video games professionally. They’d never admit it, but all they had was the game and each other.

Coach Uni entered the room, interrupting the routine of it all. Behind him was a tall, broad shouldered guy, nonchalantly looking down at his phone. The team anticipated Uni’s words.

“I’d like to introduce your new teammate. Team Rush, meet Sesame.”

Silence.

“Uh,” Uni stuttered. “Sesame, introduce yourself.”

“Huh?” Sesame looked up from his phone. “Oh. Hey. I’m Shinwon.”

“Make friends,” Uni commanded as he left the room.

Shinwon shuffled around the modest practice room, eventually digging through the mini kitchen area. “Does this team have a Keurig, or did they take it away when you lost?”

Hui and Hongseok made disgruntled eye contact. Hui wanted to say that the Keurig was up Shinwon’s ass, but he resisted the urge. As captain, he had to carry himself with a certain sense of professionalism, and that did not include telling his new teammate off.

“We lost our caffeine privileges because of Wooseok,” Hui responded.

Shinwon smiled. “So, when do we start?”

“Now.” Hui grimaced in return. “Since I’m the team’s main support, I think that we should play ranked together and work on our Pharah-Mercy.”

Shinwon began taking his computer peripherals out of his backpack. A standard lightweight gaming mouse, a fully lit LED keyboard … and Razer kitty ear headphones. Hui tried not to laugh, but gave in.

“Is something funny?” Shinwon stared at Hui, completely oblivious to how ridiculous his headphones were.

“Uh,” Hui stammered. “No.”

…

Practice with Shinwon wasn’t exactly going well. At times, Shinwon would go face first into a full enemy team by himself, dying instantly. Other times, he would go in and single-handedly eliminate everyone. For Hui, Shinwon had the most frustrating play style of anyone.

At first, Hui attempted to be civil and constructive.

“Shinwon, please don’t forget to wait for me and the rest of the team.”

Then, he began to show the limits of his patience.

“Shinwon, quit feeding and at least wait for me before you go in by yourself.”

Then, he lost it.

“Sesame, you absolute MORON,” Hui pulled off his headphones and stood up facing Shinwon, whose desk was directly in front of his. “Why do you insist on taking the enemy team 6v1?”

“Because I’m a god,” Shinwon said with a laugh. “Besides, it seemed to work against _you_ last season.”

“You need to listen to me,” Hui urged. “I’m the captain of this team.”

Shinwon sneered, “You’re a bit washed-up to be calling yourself a captain. Maybe you should worry about yourself.”

Hui, who was known to cry easily, felt a lump in his throat forming. He wasn’t sure if it was due to anger or because Shinwon had hurt his feelings. Before Shinwon could see, Hui decided to pack his things and go back to the team house.

…

Back at the house, Hui decided to relax with Wooseok and Yuto in the living room. The house was huge, big enough that all of the starters got their own room. They had a personal chef, a personal trainer, and a beautiful swimming pool in the back. It was a shame that they spent most of their time at the drab practice facility rather than at home.

Wooseok stared intently at his phone, clearly watching someone’s live stream.

“DeathNote98 with a subscription renewal! Wow, you’ve been subscribed for a year. Thanks for the support!” A cute voice beamed from Wooseok’s phone. The voice could only belong to the Las Vegas Venom’s star DPS player, Violet. 

Violet was a popular streamer, mostly for his looks, but also for his skill. He was also known for being a bit of a gossip, dropping hints and leaks about rumors that he had heard as a player in Overwatch League. Almost everyone tuned in to his stream, fans and players alike.

“Ah, do you really have to be such a big fan of his? You do realize that Violet and his team _destroyed_ us less than a week ago?” Hui groaned.

“But he’s so entertaining and cute,” Wooseok explained. “He’s the most subscribed user on Twitch for a reason!”

“You have a crush,” Yuto said. “You also realize that you can talk to Violet in real life, right? We see him all the time in the practice facility. He’s always with Candy, though.”

Wooseok blushed. “Shut up, Sid!”

“I told you. My tag is _Obsidian_,” Yuto said.

Then, Coach Uni entered the living room. “Hui, please come with me.”

“Uh-oh,” Wooseok squeaked.

Hui followed Uni into the dining room, where Shinwon waited, staring at his phone as usual.

“Hey,” Shinwon said.

“Uh... Hey,” Hui replied.

“I know it’s hard when a new player is brought into an already established team, but I really need for you two to work it out,” Uni said. “Hui, as the captain of Team Rush, it’s unacceptable to be calling your teammate a moron.”

Hui avoided eye contact with both Uni and Shinwon.

“As for Shinwon,” Uni continued, “You’re going to have to make some attitude and playstyle adjustments if you ever expect to fit in on this team.”

Shinwon stared at his phone, expression unchanging. Was he even listening?

“Now”—Uni turned on his heel and started to leave the room—“make friends.”

“You know, Hui,” Shinwon said, not looking up from his phone. “You were my inspiration for joining Overwatch League. I’ve been a big fan of yours for years.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Hui squinted.

“Not at all,” Shinwon stood, finally looking up. He walked toward Hui. “You’re a legend. In fact, my only reason for playing Overwatch was to beat you one day. You have to know how good that felt.”

They stared at each other, faces maybe a foot apart. Silence. As Hui wondered who would give in first, Shinwon picked up his backpack and went upstairs.

…

Back at the practice facility, it was time for official scrimmages. This scrim would be against the Las Vegas Venom.

“Whose idea was it to schedule us against the Venom right after we play them in Grand Finals?” Hongseok whined. “I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of Changgu and his new team!”

“The scrim schedule is made way in advance,” Jinho explained. “No one could have known that we’d be facing each other. Venom was projected to get 6th.”

Then, there was a knock at the door. It was two familiar faces – Violet and his best friend, Candy. They were holding two pizzas each.

“To what do we owe the honor?” Hui joked. “It’s nice to see you, Kino. You too, Yanan.”

It was always a treat to see Kino, a.k.a Violet, in person. Normally, they’d see him through Wooseok’s phone screen. He was good looking and charming as ever. Yanan, a.k.a. Candy, was Team Venom’s main support, just like Hui. He was a gentle giant.

“We decided it would be nice to order pizza to celebrate the first scrim of a new season,” Kino said with enthusiasm. “Where should we put them?”

“Over here! Over here is fine!” Wooseok exclaimed, pointing to the table next to him. Hui wondered if Wooseok was going to be okay being in such close proximity to Kino.

“Shinwonie! I miss you so much! Why did you have to go and request a trade?” Yanan pulled Shinwon into a hug. Shinwon reluctantly threw his arms around Yanan in response.

_Request_ a trade? Hui frowned. There’s no way that Shinwon requested to be traded to the Chicago Rush, the biggest losers in Overwatch League. Maybe Yanan was mistaken. Maybe it was an inside joke. Hui decided to brush it off.

“We’ll see you in game! Mwah!” Kino blew a kiss to the room as he left, taking Yanan with him. Wooseok blushed again.

…

“Comm check,” Hui said. “Comm check. Testing, 1, 2. Can everyone hear me?”

A chorus of affirmatives rang through his headphones.

“Even though this is just a scrim, I want everyone to do their best. You don’t want to be embarrassed by the Venom again, right? Keep the comms clean, keep track of ultimate economy, and stay alive. Let’s go!” Hui yelled.

The scrim ensued. In a best of five, the Venom and Rush were tied 2-2.

The final map was Oasis. Though they hadn’t practiced since the moron incident, Hui and Shinwon decided to go Pharah-Mercy. In the final round, having lost control of the map at 99%, Hui appealed to Shinwon.

“Shinwon. I need for you to use Rocket Barrage on their Zarya,” he said.

“Uh, why? There’s no way that she’s built up Graviton Surge yet, and I think that I could kill at least 3 of them if I go from behind,” Shinwon replied.

“Please,” Hui begged. “Just trust me. I’m positive that she has Graviton Surge. I’ll heal you through it.”

Shinwon didn’t respond.

“Trust me!”

“Fine.”

Shinwon used Rocket Barrage on Zarya, and the Rush win the match. After Kino comes over to shake all of their hands, Shinwon and Hui collapsed onto the couch in the practice room, each having grabbed a slice of pizza.

“How did you know that Zarya had Graviton Surge?” Shinwon asked.

“I have a lot of experience,” Hui laughed. “You know, since I’m a _legend_ and all…”

Shinwon laughed too. Hui’s chest tightened, and he didn’t know why.

…

Wooseok sat in the team house living room, eyes glued to his phone once again. Hui could hear Kino’s laughter.

“He’s doing an IRL stream,” Wooseok remarked. “He’s talking about our scrimmage.”

“Ah, really? Connect it to the TV,” Hui said. Wooseok obliged.

“If I’m being honest, we weren’t trying that hard. We had been playing Minecraft all day instead of practicing. I feel a bit sorry for Team Rush, you know? We literally just beat them in the championship, so we didn’t feel the need to go all out,” Kino babbled on stream. Wooseok stared at the wall.

“Dude, tell your boyfriend to shut up,” Hongseok snapped.

Kino did this often. He’d act kind to their faces, then talk shit on his stream. After their devastating championship loss, Kino thanked Hui specifically for his role in Team Venom’s win.

“Um, Hui, don’t freak out, but check your phone,” Yuto said, eyes wide. Hui did as instructed and opened his Twitter timeline.

> @SesameOW: keep talking shit, @VenomViolet. i’ll see u in the regular season

Hui immediately barreled up the stairs to Shinwon’s room. That was the convenient part of living with all of your teammates. If any of them fucked up, they were within arm’s reach for a scolding. He entered without knocking.

“Shinwon,” Hui said. “You need to delete that tweet. Our sponsors won’t take kindly to your lack of sportsmanship. How did you manage to talk shit about a scrimmage?”

“First of all,” Shinwon replied, lying in bed in his underwear. “Make sure to knock before entering my room, unless you WANT to see me naked.” 

Hui’s face felt hot.

“Second of all,” He continued, “Competition and shit talking makes this league more exciting for viewers. I assure you that our sponsors will be quite pleased with the increased viewership for our regular season revenge match. Now, get out.”

Shinwon put his hand on Hui’s chest, pushed him backwards out of the room, and locked the door. Hui felt his hand there for hours.

Later, Hui returned downstairs to see everyone gathered around the TV. Hongseok quickly shut off what they were watching. 

“What was that?” Hui said.

“Uh… Watchpoint,” Hongseok replied.

Watchpoint was an Overwatch League talk show. It consisted of the analysts and casters discussing the upcoming season, including game results, roster changes, and gossip. Though informative, it wasn’t the greatest thing to watch if you’re trying to maintain a positive mental attitude. 

“They were talking about me, weren’t they?” Hui looked at the floor. “Turn it back on.”

Hongseok winced. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Hui said. 

“The guy really has no business being on an Overwatch League roster anymore,” one of the casters said. “Yes, he’s a legend, but his play is becoming inexcusable. How many years of lost championships will the Chicago Rush tolerate before they let Rooster go? He’s washed-up!”

Hui’s teammates look at him, waiting for a reaction.

“I’ll just have to be better, then,” Hui said.

Shinwon watched the scene from the stairwell. 

…

Scrimmages continued, and before Hui knew it, it was time for a new season of Overwatch League to begin. Though their schedule was considered relatively easy for the first half of stage one, Team Rush took every match very seriously. They were lucky to come out of their first half 4-0.

Excluding match days, they practiced every morning until dinner, when they’d pile into the team van and doze off to the familiar buzz of busy Los Angeles. 

The team gathered at the Blizzard Arena for their next match. It was against the Busan Hurricane, a playoff team that had choked even earlier than the Rush. Although they crumbled under the pressure of playoffs, Busan was no joke. Their captain, Sorn, was an incredible shot caller and in-game leader.

Sorn entered their practice room to greet Hui and wish his team luck, as customary before an Overwatch League match. Before leaving, she shot a look toward Shinwon.

“Long time no see, Sesame!” Sorn said. “I can’t wait to sleep dart your Pharah out of the sky.” She winked and left the practice room.

“GOD, you’re so lucky,” Hongseok whined. “I wish that Sorn would speak to me like that! Are you into her? You should get her num-”

“She’s cool, but not my type,” Shinwon said, cutting him off. Hongseok’s mouth hung open.

Later, it was time for the match. Everyone looked to Hui for his usual, inspiring pregame speech.

“Alright, boys,” Hui said. “We’ve been working hard, and we know what to do. Don’t do anything too fancy. Stay alive, and we’ll be fine. Got it?”

“Got it!” Team Rush exclaimed.

They walked onto the stage, high-fiving all of the fans that they passed. The cheers were deafening. Despite not being the most successful team in Overwatch League, their fans were adoring and unwavering. 

The match began. Team Rush easily took the first map, but the Hurricane took the second. The third map ended in a draw, meaning that the result of the match depended on the fourth map only. 

Anxiety began to set in, and Hui could no longer think straight. He went into auto-pilot mode, casting resurrections without strategy and dancing around the point mindlessly as Lucio. 

“Okay, no one use any ultimates,” Hongseok urged. “This is going to be an economy push. We need to do as much damage as possible, but don’t invest too much into it. We’ll make a real push to take point B after we respawn.”

This went right over Hui’s head, who’d normally be making these sort of calls. His years of experience in professional Overwatch went out the window, with him performing like a gold level player instead of a grandmaster. 

Team Rush moved as a team toward the payload. The team fight began. 

“LET’S BREAK IT DOWN!” Lucio’s ultimate line rang.

“Hui!” Shinwon yelled into his mic. “Did you just use your fucking ultimate when Hongseok called for no ults?”

Hui didn’t even hear him. Everyone panicked and poured their ultimates into an unwinnable fight. The Busan Hurricane wins.

…

After the game, everyone else had gone home for a good night’s rest. Hui wasn’t so lucky. He remained at the practice facility, running wall ride routes and guardian angel drills. Was he really washed-up? Did he even deserve to be on Team Rush’s roster?

“What the hell are you still doing here?” A familiar voice echoed through the empty practice facility.

Hui turned around to find Shinwon, who was probably the last person that he wanted to see. 

“Look, I’m not really in the mood to be messed with right now,” Hui mumbled. 

“I’m not here to mess with you,” Shinwon said. “I’m here to _check_ on you.”

“Oh,” Hui croaked.

“Let me guess,” Shinwon speculated, “You’re having an angsty moment because you’re worried about being washed-up.”

Hui stared.

“As someone who has called you washed-up personally,” he continued, “it’s all bullshit. Objectively, you’re the best main support that Overwatch League has ever seen. We’re all lucky to even play in the same league as you. Why do you think I requested a trade to the Chicago Rush?”

“To play with me?” Hui questioned.

“No, dumbass,” Shinwon laughed. “Because I like the team’s colors. Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

“You have a car?”

Shinwon ignored Hui, and they walked together to the parking lot. Shinwon took out his keys and pressed unlock. A nearby, black sports car lit up. This was what Shinwon must’ve purchased with that lucrative contract.

“Are you hungry?” Shinwon asked. “I’m starved.”

“Sure,” Hui said. “What did you have in mind?”

Within a couple of minutes, they were at the McDonald’s near their team house.

“I love this place!” Shinwon exclaimed.

“You love… McDonald’s?” Hui asked, full of doubt that someone’s favorite restaurant could really be the golden arches.

“I just love hamburgers in general. McDonald’s gets the job done,” Shinwon said. “You know, my tag is actually from sesame seeds.” 

“Ah, really?” Hui would’ve never guessed. “My tag is Rooster because I kind of look like a chicken.”

“I know.” Shinwon looked at his burger. “I wasn’t joking when I said that I was a huge fan of yours.”

There was an awkward silence. Hui didn’t really know how to react. It was hard to believe that someone like Shinwon would be his fan. Plus, Shinwon had acted with such little respect toward Hui when he arrived at Team Rush. 

Shinwon continued, “Look, Hui. When I first came to your team, I was trying to act cool. I kept going in by myself when we practiced Pharah-Mercy together because I wanted to get a lot of kills and impress you. When you called me a moron, I lost my cool.”

He sighed. “I want to apologize, and if possible, be friends.”

“I’m sorry too,” Hui said, “and I’d like that.”

They smiled at each other. Hui’s face felt hot again.

…

With a long season ahead, Hui was forced to take Shinwon’s pep talk to heart. Team Rush couldn’t afford to have a weak link, especially if they were to qualify for stage one finals. Their Pharah-Mercy began to show promise, receiving praise from opponents and casters alike. 

In order to qualify, the Rush had to finish within the top three teams. Though the games were tough, including a map five match against the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets, the team managed to finish at the top of the league, meaning they only had to wait for the result between the second and third place finishers.

Hui nearly passed out when he finds out that they’ll be going against the Las Vegas Venom.

“I can’t believe we’re going up against the Venom in _another_ finals,” Yuto said. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to take the humiliation if we lose again.”

“Don’t worry,” Shinwon smiled. “We have our secret weapon. We can’t lose.”

“Aw, Sesame,” Hongseok said, punching Shinwon’s arm playfully. “I’m not that good!”

“I was talking about myself, dumbass,” Shinwon said. “I have an idea for a special composition.”

“What is it?” Jinho asked.

Shinwon walked toward the white board in the practice room and began to diagram what looks like the Horizon Lunar Colony map. Coach Uni leaned forward.

“It consists of these heroes,” Shinwon said, pointing to the white board. “It’s called Three Three.”

“Three tanks and three supports? That’s crazy,” Yuto said. “How would we do enough damage?”

“Move as a unit,” Shinwon replies. “It doesn’t have a lot of range, but with speed boost and Brigitte’s inspire passive, it’s going to be scary.”

Hui frowned. “And what’s the counter?”

“The only counter is to mirror the composition,” Shinwon explained. “Three Three versus Three Three. By the time they figure it out, it will be too late.”

“It’s interesting,” Coach Uni said. “Let’s try it out in internal scrimmages.”

“Yes!” Shinwon jumped up and down, as if he didn’t believe that Uni would actually go for it.

At first, there was a learning curve. Yuto and Shinwon were playing classes they had never really played before, and they might have underestimated the amount of coordination required to “move as a unit.” Eventually, they perfected the Three Three composition, and Coach Uni decided to greenlight the composition’s use for stage playoffs. 

The team gathered backstage before their final match against Venom, talking amongst themselves, listening to pregame playlists, and going over last minute formation and composition notes. The nervous energy between them broke up when Kino and Changgu approached.

Changgu, a.k.a Y1, had been an original member of the Team Rush roster before being traded for Shinwon in the off-season. He was a bit stoic but a good friend, and the team had maintained as much contact with him as possible between scrimmages and practice.

“If it isn’t Team Rush!” Kino exclaimed. He had a lollipop stick hanging out of mouth like a villain in a high school movie. “I can’t wait to see what tricks you have up your sleeve this time.”

“Hongseok! I heard that you and Changgu had a drink or six this past weekend,” Kino continued. “No invite?” He mockingly frowned. 

“That’s okay. Even so, I heard _all_ about your cute new composition,” Kino pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and raised his eyebrows. “Three Three, was it?”

Hongseok’s mouth hung open once again. He looked to his teammates, who were equally shocked. 

“I’m sorry, Hongseok,” Changgu said. He tugged Kino’s jersey. “Come on, Kino.” Kino whined, but reluctantly went along with Changgu, disappearing behind a curtain. 

Hongseok turned to his team. “I don’t remember telling him about it. We got really drunk. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“We can talk about your astronomical fuck up later,” Jinho said. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

“All you can do against Three Three is play the mirror composition, right, Shinwon?” Yuto asked.

“Yeah,” Shinwon replied. “It’s all we can do.”

The team gathered around Hui, seemingly begging for one of his famous pregame encouragements.

“We’re better than them,” Hui said with determination. “I know we are. If they’re going to steal our composition, we’re going to make them regret it. We’ve put so much hard work in. We can do it.”

Hui met eyes with each of his teammates, lingering a bit on Shinwon. “Everyone, put your hand in.”

They put their hands together in the center. “Team Rush, on three! 1, 2, 3!”

“TEAM RUSH!”

…

The match began on Lijiang Tower, and as expected, the Vegas Venom showed up to round one with the stolen composition. The teams went head-to-head, trading eliminations evenly. 

“We need to combo Graviton Surge and Self-Destruct,” Yuto said to Hongseok. “On my signal.”

“Now!”

Yuto pressed forward into a clump of enemies. He aimed his ultimate, and the entirety of Team Venom gets pulled into the Graviton. Hongseok launched his Self-Destruct into the pile. When Changgu’s shield broke, the three Team Venom members were eliminated. As a result, Chicago take map one. 

“You’re welcome for the carry,” Hongseok taunted. 

Yuto smacked Hongseok on the arm. “You couldn’t have done that without me!”

“Shut up or they’re going to put this in the Comms Compilation!” Hui warned.

Map two was Hanamura, the most beautiful map by far, covered in cherry blossoms. Riding off the high of their victory on Lijiang, something clicked, and Hui secured a three-man soundwave kill off of the back of point A. 

“One for my highlight reel!” He exclaimed.

“Holy shit, Rooster!” Jinho clapped. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m rubbing off on him!” Shinwon cackled.

Despite Hui’s rollout, Team Venom made another push, easily taking both points. Team Rush were unable to compete with their large time bank, and so Venom came out on top, making the score 1-1.

Map three, Hollywood, was close. Going toe-to-toe, both teams managed to escort the payload all the way to the end. Hui’s team made a long overtime push against the odds. The crowd went wild as the score leaned in Team Rush’s favor.

“Kino looks a little stressed,” Wooseok said. “Probably because we’re whooping ass.”

“I didn’t expect you to talk about your boyfriend like that,” Yuto teased.

“Sid, if you don’t shut up, so help me God,” Wooseok replied. He leaned back in his chair to give Yuto a dirty look from the opposite side of Rush’s game station. 

Jinho chuckled. “Haven’t you heard? It’s _Obsidian_.” 

Only one map remained between the Chicago Rush and the stage one championship trophy: Route 66. 

Shinwon pulled Hui aside during a commercial break. “This time, we go Pharah-Mercy.”

“Huh?” Hui frowned. “Didn’t you say that the only thing that works against the Three Three composition is Three Three itself?”

“Sure,” Shinwon said. “But it’s like you said: we’re better than them. I think it could work.”

Hui stayed quiet, clearly hesitating. 

“They won’t expect it,” Shinwon continued. He held out his pinky. “Trust me.”

They linked pinkies. Hui nodded with determination.

Though their Pharah-Mercy was a little rusty from practicing Three Three for weeks, Hui and Shinwon were able to take advantage of Team Venom’s surprise. Venom wasted several minutes of their own time bank as they were forced to switch to a composition with enough range to deal with the damage raining from the sky.

Kino selected Soldier 76, a hero specifically designed to counter Pharah, but clearly out of practice, he was unable to take her down. Shinwon had free reign over the high ceilings on Route 66, and decimated Team Venom. They weren’t even able to push the payload to point A. 

Team Rush won. 

Hui stared at his monitor. The stage lights were blinding. Confetti was falling. This time, it was all his. 

The production team quickly shuffled Hui down to the floor for an interview with Malik, the host of Overwatch League. 

“How does it feel to finally get your revenge on Team Venom?” Malik asked.

Hui hesitated. “I’m honored to have played against such formidable opponents.”

“Come on, Rooster. What did you really think of their performance?”

Hui looked to Shinwon, who nodded. “I think they’re going to have to lay off the Minecraft if they ever expect to beat us again.”

Kino snatched his keyboard from Team Venom’s game station and stormed backstage. The rest of the Chicago Rush came down to where Hui was being interviewed and enveloped their captain in a group hug.

…

“Gather ‘round,” Coach Uni yelled. “I have an announcement.”

“Are we finally trading Hongseok away?” Jinho cackled at his own joke.

“Not quite,” Uni replied. “We’re going to Chicago to celebrate our victory in stage one. We’ll be hosting a fanmeet.” 

“Holy shit!” Shinwon exclaimed. “Are we gonna go see that giant bean?”

Though Team Rush represented Chicago, most of the team members had never been there. They babbled excitedly, deciding who would room with who and what sort of things they’d do in their free time.

Jinho and Hongseok, the tank duo, decided to room together, and so did Wooseok and Yuto. 

“I, uh,” Hui stammered to Shinwon, “I guess that leaves us to room together.”

Before Shinwon could respond, Uni continued talking. “In addition, we will be participating in an eSports Night at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs have asked that we select a Chicago Rush player to throw out the first pitch, and I’ve chosen Sesame.”

“What the hell?” Shinwon was taken aback. “I’ve never touched a sportsball in my life! Why didn’t you pick that jock Hongseok?”

“I know you don’t mean it that way,” Hongseok said, “but I take that as a compliment.”

“As a new player on our team, I think it’s important that Chicago Rush fans see that you’re dedicated to representing them,” Uni replied. Hui thought that Uni kind of had a point. Plus, it would be funny to see Shinwon in a baseball jersey. 

At first, Shinwon protested, but he eventually accepted his fate. How hard could throwing a baseball sixty feet be?

On the plane, Hui claimed the aisle seat, and Shinwon claimed the window. Wooseok, the biggest of them all, was forced to sit in the middle. He complained the entire time.

“Hui,” Wooseok whined. “You’re so tiny. What the hell am I doing sitting in the middle seat? Let me have the aisle! These babies need to stretch!” He pointed to his skinny legs, exposed to the world due to Wooseok’s insistence on wearing shorts. 

Shinwon groaned. “Hui, just switch with him. Please. He’ll never shut up if you don’t.”

Hui pursed his lips. He was a bit afraid of flying and liked to have the aisle seat so that he could sprint to the emergency exit first in case things went south. 

“We can watch a movie together,” Shinwon said. “I have an earphone splitter.”

“I forgot my earphones in Los Angeles,” Hui frowned. 

“We can share. Come on, switch with Wooseok,” Shinwon replied.

Hui sighed and stood up, Wooseok shuffling behind him into the aisle seat. He plopped down next to Shinwon and took the left earbud out of his hand. 

“What are we going to watch?” Hui asked.

“Um, _The Sandlot_,” Shinwon replied sheepishly, “for.. research purposes since I have to throw out the first pitch at that baseball game.”

Hui laughed. “Shinwon, this isn’t going to teach you how to throw a baseball.”

“It’s worth a shot.”

As they watched _The Sandlot_ for the remainder of the flight, Hui leaned toward Shinwon, partially because he was forced to by their shared earphones and partially because Hui wanted to be close to him. 

When they arrive in Chicago and go to the hotel, Coach Uni handed out the room keys.

“Wooseok and Yuto. Hongseok and Jinho. Hui and Shinwon.”

They took their room keys and walked to the elevators. 

…

Later that night, it was time for eSports night at Wrigley Field. Walking into the stadium, the team saw tons of fans wearing Chicago Rush jerseys. Some even stopped the team for selfies and autographs. For the first time, they felt like celebrities. Before they knew it, it was time for Shinwon’s first pitch. As captain, Hui decided to go with him down to the field.

Hui looked Shinwon up and down. He looked handsome in his Cubs jersey, customized to say “SESAME” on the back. Shinwon wore his hat backwards, something he learned from watching _The Sandlot_. 

“Fuck,” Shinwon breathed. “I’m going to fuck it up. We should’ve practiced. I’ve literally never touched a baseball! I wasn’t joking!”

“It’s going to be fine,” Hui said, grabbing Shinwon’s hand. “Just aim for the plate.”

Realizing what he just did, Hui let go. He assured himself it was just for emphasis.

“Which one is the plate?” Shinwon asked, eyes wide.

“Oh god,” Hui said.

“And now for our first pitch! In honor of eSports night, we have Shinwon “Sesame” Ko, from the Chicago Rush!” The announcer bellowed throughout the stadium.

The crowd cheers, and Shinwon walked out, waving to a couple of fans sporting Rush jerseys. He arrived at the plate and took a deep breath. 

Shinwon wound up dramatically. He threw the ball, but instead of going toward home plate, it went toward first base. The crowd laughed, and so did he, but Hui could tell that Shinwon was extremely bothered. 

When they go back to their seats, Shinwon sat in silence. Hui made his way to the concession stand, where he purchased a ballpark burger and a large coke.

“For you,” Hui said, offering the food to Shinwon.

“No thanks,” Shinwon mumbled. 

“Grumpy because you pulled a Carly Rae Jepsen?” Hui joked.

Shinwon rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” Hui said. “More for me.” He took a bite of the hamburger. 

The night ended, and they returned to the hotel, everyone turning in early to their rooms. 

When Hui got out of the shower, he found Shinwon sprawled out on the bed, staring at his phone. He had expected Shinwon to go to bed as soon as possible. Today had been a long day. 

“Violet has posted five memes about my pitch in the last hour,” Shinwon sighed. “I’m a fucking laughing stock.”

“I don’t know what anyone expected from someone who plays video games professionally,” Hui snickered.

“I don’t think it’s very funny,” Shinwon said.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Hui replied. “Everyone will forget this in a week.”

“Not a big deal?” Shinwon scoffed. “When you were crying like a little baby about being washed-up, I gave you the pep talk of a lifetime. Next time, I’ll save my energy.”

“I wasn’t crying,” Hui said. “You _wanted_ to check on me.”

“Did I?” Shinwon raised his eyebrows. “Or was I just worried that you’d choke again like you did against the Busan Hurricane?”

Hui sat in silence for a bit before forcing out, “Why are you acting like this?”

“Because I’m so fucking sick of this,” Shinwon said, taking a step toward Hui.

“Sick of what? Violet?” Hui looked at the floor. “He’s always like this. He likes to provoke people. I promise that everyone will forg–”

Hui was cut off by Shinwon’s lips meeting his. Eyes wide, at first Hui isn’t sure what to do. His heart was beating so loudly that he swore he could hear it. Then, he moved one hand to Shinwon’s hair, and the other to his waist. The contact between them deepened, and Hui couldn’t get enough. It felt like it lasted a lifetime, and when it ended, Hui wished that it didn’t.

Shinwon picked up his backpack and left the room. For the rest of the night, Hui traced his finger over his lips, wondering what the fuck had just happened.

…

“You did WHAT?” Jinho screamed.

“You KISSED the CAPTAIN?” Hongseok threw his hands onto his face.

Jinho and Hongseok couldn’t stop laughing. Shinwon regretted ever telling them, but when he arrived at their door in the middle of the night after a long walk around Chicago, he had to explain it somehow. He panicked and told the truth. 

“I know,” Shinwon said. “I couldn’t help it.”

“Do you actually like him?” Jinho began the interrogation. 

Shinwon considered the question. Though the lines were slightly blurred between crush, captain, hero, and friend, he knew the answer. 

“More than anything,” Shinwon replied. 

“Does he like _you_?” Hongseok questioned. 

“I have no idea,” Shinwon said. “If he does, I fucked it up by being a total asshole.”

“No wonder you were so quick to encourage Hui to switch with Wooseok on the plane,” Hongseok hooted. 

“Oooooh, so romantic! Watching a movie together on an airplane!” Jinho joined in. 

Shinwon zoned out, trying to ignore the teasing. He had no idea how he was going to fix this. He also had no idea how he was going to face Hui at their fanmeet tomorrow. He wasn’t sure that he could do it. 

Hongseok and Jinho were still babbling, so Shinwon interrupted them. “Look, I just need to know if I can sleep in here tonight.” 

They agreed, so Shinwon passed out on their couch.

When Hongseok and Jinho woke up, Shinwon was gone. Assuming that he went back to his own room, they went about their day as usual, visiting Navy Pier and taking a river tour before meeting back with the rest of the team for the Rush fanmeet.

“Where’s Shinwon?” Coach Uni asked.

Hongseok frowned. “Was he not with you, Hui?”

“Uh, no,” Hui said. “He left our room last night and never came back.”

“And you didn’t think to tell someone?!” Wooseok cried. “He’s probably _dead_!”

Hui had figured that Shinwon had gone to someone else’s room after what happened last night. It had never occurred to him that he would go anywhere else. 

Coach Uni sighed heavily. “Hui, this is your fault. Figure out where he is.”

Hui panicked internally, both because Shinwon was missing, and because he had to be the one to find him. Where could he possibly be? He walked around the entirety of the hotel, including the restaurant and bar. He tried four different McDonald’s within proximity. He even called the local police and hospitals to make sure that Shinwon hadn’t gotten into any trouble.

Then, it occurred to him.

_“Holy shit! Are we gonna go see that giant bean?”_

Hui called an Uber and set the destination to Millenium Park.

Millenium Park was packed with tourists. Hui ran around the bean twice in search of Shinwon. He took a breath and sat on a bench. Clearly, this was the wrong place. He would have to keep looking.

“Hey, captain.”

Hui turned around. It was him.

Shinwon took a seat next to Hui, electing to stare at the giant bean instead of making eye contact. 

“When I requested a trade to the Chicago Rush, it was solely because I wanted to play alongside you,” Shinwon said. “You know this, but I always admired you.”

Hui turned to look at him.

“I didn’t realize that you were so sensitive,” Shinwon continued. “Every time you’d shit on yourself, and every time you’d blame yourself for our losses, I found it extremely annoying.”

“And then,” he said, “it began to hurt me. It physically hurt to see you like that. I wanted to support you. I wanted to hold you, and tell you that it wasn’t your fault. I wanted to see you smile, no matter if you were the worst Overwatch player on Earth.”

“I’ve decided to request a trade again,” Shinwon said. “I don’t think I’m capable of being around you knowing that you don’t feel the same way about me.”

“Please don’t request a trade,” Hui said, grabbing Shinwon’s hand. “Stay. Play with me.”

“Did you listen to anything that I said?”

Hui gripped Shinwon’s hand tighter. “Stay.”

Shinwon hadn’t realized it until now, but their faces were getting dangerously close. He blinked. Their lips met again, this time with the Chicago breeze blowing between their faces. 

…

After a successful fanmeet, the Chicago Rush packed their bags and prepared to go back to Los Angeles.

“I can’t believe we’re already leaving Chicago,” Wooseok whined, “and I have to sit by the lovebirds all the way home.”

“Shut your mouth or we’ll make you sit in the middle seat again,” Shinwon threatened.

“As if you’d let Hui be more than an arm's length away from you,” Wooseok said.

Hui had wondered if they should tell the rest of the Rush about their relationship for this very reason. When Shinwon revealed that Hongseok and Jinho already knew, he realized that he didn’t really have a choice, but it didn’t matter. Between the team’s stage one championship and his new boyfriend, Hui was the happiest he had ever been.

Shinwon gasped and began to dig in his backpack. “That reminds me! I got a new movie for us to watch on the way home.” He pulled out a DVD. It was titled _Bull Durham._

“What’s it about?” Hui asked, taking the DVD and flipping it over to read the description. “Huh? Another baseball movie?”

“You know, in case we ever have to attend another eSports night at Wrigley,” Shinwon explained. “I have to redeem myself.”

“I can’t wait,” Hui smiled, grabbing Shinwon’s hand. They walked together toward their gate.


End file.
